Pauline Potter, best known for "My 600-lb Life," has died, her son Dillon confirmed. The TLC star died on November 27 after dealing with several serious health issues that developed following a car crash back in January. In a video posted on her YouTube channel, Pauline's son talked about the crash, saying that their vehicle crashed into a stalled truck on the highway.
He said that they were driving in the early hours of the morning when the crash happened and claimed the broken-down truck didn't have its hazard lights on. "My mom tried to swerve to go around it, but the passenger side of the car hit the side of the trailer and completely spun us around," he said.
End of a Difficult Fight
"When we stopped, we were facing the opposite direction on the opposite side of the road. At the time of impact, we were going 50mph," he added. Over the past 11 months, Potter faced numerous health complications stemming from the accident.
In July, after several hospital visits, doctors found a blockage in her esophagus that made it impossible for her to keep food down.
Potter also contracted Covid during her recovery and had to be put in the ICU, where doctors warned that she was showing early signs of respiratory failure. By November, she had moved into hospice care and was later released to stay at her sister's home.
An official cause of death has not yet been announced. Her son Dillon has set up a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of her memorial.
Potter, who appeared on "My 600-lb Life" in 2015 at age 50, weighed 678 pounds when she joined the show. She went on to lose more than 500 pounds and eventually qualified for skin removal surgery.
Star in Her own Right
When viewers were first introduced to Pauline, she was being cared for by her son and her niece Megan because she was unable to do much on her own beyond feeding herself and using the bathroom.
"I am absolutely trapped in this body," she explained. "I let myself get way out of control. I feel like I am dying every day."
While her niece helped by washing her hair and giving her sponge baths, Dillon took on the full-time responsibility of being her primary caregiver.
"I do feel bad for Dillon just because it doesn't seem like he has had much of a life," Megan said on the show, telling the cameras that his bond with his mother was more like that of a client and a caregiver than a typical mother-son relationship.
Before joining My 600-lb Life, Potter had been recognized by the Guinness Book of Records in 2011 as the heaviest woman alive. At her peak weight, she weighed 677 pounds.
